Ice tray grid



July 26, 1949. I c. R. CARNEY 2,477,282

ICE TRAY GRID Filed Aug. 8, 1945 INVENTOR.

CLIFFORD F2. CARNEY ATTO RN EYS Patented July 26, 1949 roe TRAY cam Clifford R. Carney, Miami, Fla., aaslgnor to Cellon Corporation, Mlami F la., a corporation of Florida Application August 8, 1945, Serial No. 609,524

13 Claims. I

The present invention relates to ice tray grids and more particularly to ice tray grids which are removable from an ice tray, and which may be readily operated to secure the release of the .ice cubes therefrom.

. The problem of-freeing ice cubes from a tray in which they are frozen in a conventional type of mechanical refrigerator is one which has been long resent in this art. The attempts to solve the problem have generally taken one of two directions. First, the provision of a grid formed of a resilient material, such for example as rubber or the like, which may be distorted to break the bond between the grid and the cubes, and thus to free the cubes from the grid. Second, the provision of a grid having rigid partitioning members, certain of which are movable relative to the others for the purpose of breaking the adhesion between the ice. cubes and the rigid elements of the grid construction.

In both general forms of the prior grids the grid'mechanism and the ice when frozen presents a rigid mass in which the grid, whether resiliently flexible or whether mechanically united for movement of one rigid section relative to the other is held immobile in the ice block. In both types of grids there is a mechanical connection which imparts structural rigidity to the grid member and this rigidity is further increased when the ice is frozen therein. In the case of the resilient types of grids, the resiliency of the material is much impaired and frequently lost at the low temperatures necessary for the freezing of the ice. The adhesion of the ice to the various portions of the rigid grid members in the type utilizing rigid members which are movable relative to one another, renders these grids immobile to the extent that they are for all practical purposes a .rigid grid structure at the beginning of the ice In order to satisfactorily.

removing operation. break such grids from the ice cubes, it is necessary to apply a force thereto of sufficient magnitude to move oneof the gridmembers relative to the other grid members, and having thus initiated the ice-freeing movement, to then fol- .low it with the progressive movement of other of the grid members. to inthis art as a progressive flow of power".

This is frequently referred As distinguished from previously known types wof'gridathe grid of the present invention l 00mposed of a plurality of separate elements freely joined together in such a manner that a sudden force applied to any grid member is transmitted throughout the frozen grid and i-cetblock to provide an instantaneous releaseof all ofthe ice cubes from the grid. I

An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide an ice tray grid structure having a plurality of grid members each being movable relative to all other parts of the grid and loosely held in assembled relation by an elongated assembly pin. 7 V

A further object'of, the present invention is to provide an ice tray grid structure in which the longitudinal separator is formed of a plurality of independent articulated segments each of which is independently movable relative to the other segments forming the longitudinal member, and each of which is relatively movable relative to the cross-members.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an ice tray grid formed of a plurality of separate rigid elements so united in the assembled structure that'each element is relatively movable with respect to the other elements making up the composite structure, and in which relative movement is initiated in the gridwhile frozen in an ice block by a downwardly directed flow, the shock of which is readily transmitted through the grid to the ice block as a whole, resulting in the instantaneous fracture of the block and the ready release of the ice cubes.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ice tray grid constructed of a plurality of separate rigid grid elements flexibly united for relative movement of any part relative to every other part in all directions, the crosspins and the longitudinal members having substantially complete freedom of movement in any direction within predetermined limits whereby a shock transmitted to the grid while frozen in lrissiormins apart of th1speciflcation wherein arate members forming an articulated longitudinal divider partition, separate members forming articulated transverse members of the grid, and an elongated assembly pin loosely connected with each of said separate members.

3. A segmental ice tray grid comprising separate L-shaped members whose long arms form an articulated longitudinal divider partition loosely joined with a plurality of articulated transverse grid members, each of said transverse grid members comprising a plurality of separate pivotally connected grid-forming members.

4. A segmental ice tray grid comprising separate members forming an articulated longitudinal divider partition loosely joined with separate members formin articulated transverse members of the grid, and a vertically extending portion provided on each of said articulated members forming the transverse partitions and adapted to receive the impact of a downwardly directed blow to cause pivotal movement of said articulated transverse partition members.

5. A segmental ice tray grid comprising separate L-shaped members whose long arms form an articulated longitudinal divider partition, separate members forming articulated transverse members of the grid, and an elongated assembly pin loosely fitted in pierced openings provided in the short arms of said L-shaped members and in said separate members.

6. Asegmental ice tray grid comprising separate members forming an articulated longitudinal divider partition, other separate members forming articulated transverse members of the grid, an elongated assembly pin loosely fitted in pierced openings provided in each of said separate members, and a vertically extending portion provided on each of said articulated members forming the transverse portion and adapted to receive the impact of a downwardly directed blow to cause pivotal movement of said articulated transverse partition members.

'7. A segmental ice tray grid comprising separate L-shaped members whose long arms form an articulated longitudinal divider partition, separate members forming articulated transverse members of the grid, an elongated assembly pin loosely fitted in pierced openings provided in the short arms of said L-shaped members and in said separate members, and a vertically extending portion provided on each of said articulated members forming the transverse partition, and adapted to receive the impact of a downwardly directed blow to cause pivotal movement of said articulated members.

8. An articulated ice tray grid comprising segmental members loosely united by an assembly pin located near the top of said grid, said segmental members when so assembled forming an articulated longitudinal divider and a plurality of articulated transverse partitions.

9. An articulated ice tray grid comprising segmental members loosely united by an assembly pin located near the top of said grid to form an articulated longitudinal divider and a plurality of articulated transverse partitions, said segmental members forming said articulated longitudinal divider comprising separate L-shaped members, each provided with a pierced opening larger than the cross-section of said assembly pin to provide a loosely jointed assembly'between said segments and said assembly pin;

ity of articulated transverse partitions, said seg mental members forming the articulated transverse partitions each having a pierced opening therein larger than the cross-section of said assembly pin to provide a loosely articulated union between said segments and said pin.

11. An articulated ice tray grid comprising segmental members loosely united by an assembly pin located near the top of said grid to form an articulated longitudinal divider and a plurality of articulated transverse partitions, said Segmental members forming the articulated transverse partition each having a pierced opening larger than the cross-section of said assembly pin to provide a loosely articulated union between said segments and said pin, and each having a vertically extending portion adapted to receive the impact of a downwardly directed blow to effect pivotal movement of such segment relative to the rest of the segments and relative to said pin. I

12. An articulated ice tray glld comprisin'g s I mental members loosely united by an assembly pin located near the top of said grid to form an articulated longitudinal divider and a plurality of articulated transverse partitions, said? so mental members forming said' articulated loin gitudinal divider comprising separate L-sliaped members, each provided with a pierced opening larger than the cross-section of said assembly pin to provide a loosely jointed assembly between said segments and said assembly pin, said segmental members forming the articulated transverse partitions each having a pierced opening larger than the cross section of said assembly pin to provide a loosely articulated union between said segments and said pin.

13. An articulated ice tray grid comprising segmental members loosely united by an assembly pin located near the top of said grid to'form an articulated longitudinal divider and a plurality of articulated transverse partitions, said segmental members formin said articulated longitudinal divider comprising separate L- shaped members, each provided with a pierced opening larger than the cross-section of said assembly pin to provide a loosely jointed assembly between said segments and said assembly pin, said segmental members forming the articulated transverse partition each having a pierced opening larger'than the cross-section of said assembly pin to provide a loosely articulated union between saidsegments and said pin, and each having a vertically extending portion adapted to receive the impact of a downwardly directed blow and efiect pivotal movement of such segment relative to the rest of the segments and relative to said pin.

CLIFFORD R. CARNEY.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Steenstrup Jan. 5, 1943 Numb lf 2. 0? 

